


Discovery

by Krysten



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 13:38:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3490277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krysten/pseuds/Krysten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An extraordinarily vanilla story about self-discovery with the help of friends. This is an extremely bare-bones story with only two characters appearing, and it isn't even a romantic tale. Extremely short and to the point. A month after Naoto's fight with her Shadow, Naoto attempts to reflect herself and her identity. She is found by Rise and the two talk in depth about their issues with identity. This is not part of a series and is intended as a one-off. Depending on the response for this, I may make more P4 Fanfiction but first I want a greater grasp. If people enjoy it, I may try again but for now, don't expect much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Discovery

Naoto sat alone at a bench in the park. She always came here when reflecting on herself. Recent events have made things very difficult for her. Although she was willing to accept herself, it was difficult figuring out who she was. She laughed at the thought. A detective who had everything figured out but herself. She just needed time. She just needed space. But in distance, she saw one of her new friends walking towards her.   
It was Rise Kujikawa, wearing her casual clothes. She seemed really happy to see Naoto. As always she appeared very energetic. She was clearly looking for Naoto.  
"Ahhh, Naoto, fancy meeting you here."  
"We’re you looking for me, Rise?"  
Rise avoided direct eye contact.  
"No but I’m glad I found you. I've been worried about you lately."  
"Worried about me? But I’m completely fine. I keep up with school and the investigation very easily. I have no troubles."  
"That’s not true. Everyone has troubles."  
"So why me then? All of our friends have very clear issues."  
"Ah but most of them are dealt with by ummm…him." Rise paused for a second and then continued. "But you know usually the hardest problems to deal with are the ones you can’t see. The ones that require a little…investigation. Right?"  
"I suppose I understand where you’re coming from but why this sudden interest in me? I thought you had a thing for Souji? What about him? He probably has some latent issues."  
"Well for one thing, how strongly you've been avoiding this topic makes me KNOW something is up. Second off, no, I do not have "a thing" for him. I’m actually a little nervous around him. He’s…a little hard to predict. I can never tell what he wants. But that’s not important."  
"What’s important?"  
"You."  
"C-can we not do this in public?"  
"Yeah, of course. Take me wherever."  
Naoto was scared of where this line of questioning would take her. She was not used to people showing interest in her, especially with her problems. Naoto took Rise to the only place she felt completely comfortable: her home.  
"So this is where you live?"  
Rise looked impressed for some reason Naoto couldn't make out. What a strange girl.  
"Yes, I live here with my grandparents."  
"Wow, does it ever get lonely here?"  
"I wouldn't know. No one is ever here, including me."  
The two sat down in Naoto’s living room. Rise’s mood was still static. She seemed to enjoy this small, rural home despite being such a big star. Naoto could understand most people, but Rise was a mystery.  
"So can you please talk about what’s been bugging you?"  
"What do you think is bugging me?"  
"Huh…well I've done some thinking and considering what happened with your shadow, I think it’s something with your identity."  
"But wasn't that resolved when I accepted it?"  
"No, do you really think our issue is resolved when we accept it? It’s still really hard for me to trust anyone. As confident as I am, it’s still hard to be confident in other’s actions."  
"I don’t really follow. I’ve always found people to be really simple to understand."  
"Naoto, people are soooooo much more complicated then you think. You can analyze someone’s movements but it is still hard to get them. People are…just people. They aren’t consistent and they aren't perfect, but people still are worth it. I think your line of reasoning is exactly why you’re having problems."  
"Y-you’re doubting my line of reasoning? But it’s helped me solve so many crimes."  
"People aren't crimes. It may help you solve crimes but you need…a different approach sometimes, especially towards yourself."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Naoto, I knew you were still having problems because our problems parallel."  
"You’re joking, right?"  
"Persona. We all use personas, right? But maybe that’s more than just a name. Risette is a persona but Himiko is also a persona. We use them as an extension of ourselves."  
"I’m following."  
"But without your persona, who are you? If I didn't have Himiko, I would just be Rise Kujikawa, pop idol and student at Yasogami High. But if I didn't have Risette, who would I be? Just Rise Kujikawa. But who is Rise Kujikawa? That’s what I hope to find out through this case. That’s what personas have helped us. We’ve accepted ourselves, now we must grow and develop. We must understand ourselves for our Personas to develop, right?"  
"I. Think I know what you mean. Without Sukuna-Hikona, I’m not sure who I’d be. Without this case, I wouldn't be able to accept myself as a woman. It’s…a very odd situation."  
"I just want to help you Naoto. I want you to grow and develop and be the person you want to be."  
"I…don’t know who I want to be and I don’t know who I am now."  
"Who you are now?" Rise replied maintaining eye contact. "You’re Naoto Shirogane of the Investigation Team. You’re a brilliant detective who blossomed at a young age. You’re the smartest person I know. You’re going to do great things and if you continue to be a detective, you’re going to make your family proud. In fact, you’re going to surpass them because you can. You’re beautiful, even though most people don’t say anything about it. You’re really kind and observant. You’re so much more mature than people our age. In fact, it says something with how far you've gotten in your field. You may not know who you are, but I know you’re a great person."  
Naoto stopped. Time seemed to freeze around them. Naoto didn't know how to respond to Rise’s praise. Rise and Naoto spoke often to each other but never about themselves. Naoto never really even thought about herself until recently but Rise seemed to have it all figured out.  
"Rise?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thank you."  
"You’re welcome, Naoto. Oh? Do you need help? You’re crying."  
"I am?"  
"Did you forget that you cry? You’re still human, Naoto."  
"Oh, right."  
"I actually wish I could think like you. You’re so logical. It must make things so easy."  
"Not really, actually I wish I had your level of empathy."  
"Empathy isn't all that great. I just want the people close to me to feel good. I've…never really had friends that treated me this well."  
"Really? I thought you would have friends since you’re an idol."  
"Everyone treated me terribly until I became an idol and then it seemed like everyone was sucking up to me because I was an idol. Fame made me friends but not real friends. They didn't want to be friends with me. They wanted to be friends with a persona, Risette."  
"I can understand that. I felt like I had to change myself to be respected as a detective. It’s…still a really difficult field for a woman to get into in Japan, but my skills should speak for themselves."  
"Of course they should. You’re so smart, Naoto!"  
"I don’t feel smart right now. I can figure out almost anything except for myself."  
"You don’t have to figure that out. You’re 16 now, right? You’re not even an adult. You’re still in High school. It can wait. Let’s solve this case, and then we can figure you out. We can figure me out. We can all be happy together and move on."  
"…You’re right, Rise. Thank you, I needed this."  
"Now, let’s go eat. I’ll take you to my place and serve you something on the house!"  
"Sounds great."  
The two left, unaware of the future but at least aware of themselves.


End file.
